#dracula experience

[totallyawesomesocks]

Since Dracula is back in the public consciousness I am once again beseeching you to read the tripadvisor reviews for the Dracula Experience attraction in Whitby which are by far the best part of my own personal Dracula canon

[romanianbrownbear]

Untravelled Paths Ltd

https://untravelledpaths.com/ - Untravelled Paths is an innovative 'something different, somewhere different' travel company that specialises in combining unique experiences with unusual destinations. Established in 2008, Untravelled Paths has brought an innovative and fresh approach to the travel industry.

[romanianbrownbear]

Untravelled Paths Ltd

Untravelled Paths is an innovative 'something different, somewhere different' travel company that specialises in combining unique experiences with unusual destinations. Established in 2008, Untravelled Paths has brought an innovative and fresh approach to the travel industry. Visit: https://untravelledpaths.com/

[michi-tala]

Highlights of the Dracula Experience | Untravelled Paths

Highlights of the Dracula Experience | Untravelled Paths

As we slowly tip-toe towards the spookiest night of the year, we delve further into the realm of lore and legend. As far as myths go, there’

[reallycreepyplaces]

Dracula Experience, Whitby

What began as a joke turned into the primary reason for driving 6 hours up to Yorkshire and into the seaside town of Whitby. Reading the reviews online, I was expecting a tacky, amusing, budget London Dungeons-esque experience, and I wasn’t disappointed. Squatting between a little cafe and a rock candy store, the front of the attraction, with its matte black walls and giant red chiller lettering, really stood out from the surrounding buildings of the Whitby promenade which ran along the River Esk, which surprised me because I wasn’t expecting much more than a single dodgy-looking black door with ‘Dracula Experience’ painted on it. So far so good. 

Stepping inside, I felt like I was inside an alternative clothing shop for those of the Gothic persuasion. The only thing out of place from the Rocky Horror Fan-tailored atmosphere were the two middle-aged guys hanging out behind the counter who wore company t-shirts and who, I thought, were probably also the owners of the place. While the older guy took the entrance fee (£6 for two - fucking bargain) and directed us to a tiny hallway to the side of the shop front, the younger guy disappeared while smirking shiftily to himself. Honestly to begin with it was creepier than I anticipated, it was pitch black so I couldn’t see a hand in front of my face and I was expecting any second to be confronted by a screaming blood coated maniquin all the creepier looking because of its bad quality. My girlfriend Lauren was freaking out as soon as we stepped into the dark and I fed from her fear, drawing the strength that I needed to protect my woman, laughing off and dismissing her trepidation in part to make myself feel better. I needn't have bothered, within moments the humour of the place returned and I enjoyed the various mannequins engineered to move towards you, and the limited sound effects, all in an attempt to get some cheap jumps from you. The place lacked any real sense of horror or dread, but what did I care, I was loving it. 

As we moved down one hallway, we heard the group ahead of us scream, and I braced myself for what horror lurked around the corner. I involuntarily jumped and yelled as a man leaped out from behind a corner wearing a plain white mask like the ones you get for £1 from the factory shop. In fact the only similarity to anything Dracula was the black cape he wore. I felt kinda cheated. After his cheap scare tactic, he ran down a small spiral staircase, cape billowing behind him, and I half expected to hear a villainous ‘muahaha’. The stairway was separated from us by a metal fence and, after looking over it, I saw that the stair led straight back into the shop front. I had a strong suspicion that our antagonist was the younger member of staff who disappeared through a side door as we entered the attraction. He must have just thrown on a mask and a cape and waited at the top of the staircase for his first customers. The grand finale came as we entered the last room where the expert lighting turned on and off, and changed repeatedly between blue and red. There in the middle of the room was Dracula, who mechanically rose and fell from within his polystyrene coffin. Terrifying. 

We left the attraction through a back door and found ourselves in dirty back alley behind the building, I felt like I had voluntarily thrown myself out of the place and it became apparent that it was akin to a factory conveyor belt: Customers fed through the front with their money, only to be spat out through the other end. Very Efficient.  As my eyes adjusted to the sun, my heart began to slow to a normal rhythm and I started to gather my wits and collect myself after my horrifying experience of pure and palpable terror. The Dracula Experience gave me a true encounter with the world of the supernatural. 10/10